Anisa Guesthouse, Harar

There is a new traditional guesthouse in the Jugol (walled town) of Harar that finally challenges the Rawda and Zewda houses and their disagreeable, unfriendly attitudes. Its called the Anisa guesthouse and is located near the Jemi mosque. Anisa is a very friendly, outgoing woman. Call her at 0915330011 or call Hailu, the best local guide in town, at 0913072931. It can sleep up to 4 or 5 comfortably. But if you have a group that doesnt mind the floor, it can sleep up to 7 or 8. Price is something like 150 to 200 birr per person w breakfast.

Hi Carol, sorry I don’t have any more information than what Nico supplied. However I doubt very much it would be contactable by email and from his description it sounds like it might work best for small groups, probably a couple of private rooms with share bathroom. If accommodation elsewhere in the old town is anything to go by, and judging by price, I expect it would slot into the shoestring/budget end of the spectrum in terms of quality! Cheers, Philip

We arranged to stay at this b&b through the guide we’d booked based on the recommendations by Nico Demus, July 2013. Our price was 350 birr per night per room (in our case 1 double bed.)

The recommendation suited us well. The location is delightfully Harari, tucked away down a maze of ancient alleys away from the centre of the old town, so quiet at night apart from the (not too loud) 5am call to prayer from the Al-Jami mosque. If you’re used to trundling a suitcase on wheels I can see the rough ground of those alleys would be challenging, but rucksacks are no problem.
Our room on the first floor up a traditional outside stone staircase was clean, and the shared bathroom at the other end of the courtyard was also clean with hot water. Neither room was cleaned on the second day, and be sure to bring a towel in case none is provided. Also a torch – not only for the middle of the night excursion to the toilet (although when there is a moon this is hardly necessary, and the sky is particularly starry, so a big consolation for having to go outside), but also to be prepared for a power cut. One of three we experienced in a fortnight was indeed in Harar. Breakfast was served in the communal sitting room between the two bedrooms. It was fresh, tasty traditional food and a good occasion to chat to fellow guests.

The family was pleased to show us the beautifully decorated traditional family sitting room downstairs. Anisa has limited English, but was very welcoming and friendly. Her husband too. He was good enough to get up at 4.30 am and unlock the courtyard gate when we need to leave early to get the Selam bus to Addis (recommended, as long as you don’t suffer from a weak bladder.)

We found it a great advantage arranging the accommodation through Hailu Gashaw
(hailu_harar@yahoo.com). He seems to be known by everyone in Harar, including Anisa, and so there was no trouble with the quoted price. His English is fluent and as an official guide born and bred in Harar he is very knowledgeable. His tour took us to areas and features of the town we might otherwise not have discovered on our own. Also very helpful. Not only did he arrange for a coffee pot to be fired and ready for collection from one of the market traders, but also arranged for us to be escorted soon after our arrival the first evening to the Ras Hotel for dinner, gave justified recommendations for other eating places, made arrangements for us to see the feeding of the hyenas, and very kindly secured us our Selam bus tickets – all for a very reasonable price. The only misunderstanding arose with regard to the offer to “pick us up” at the airport at no extra charge. This should have read “meet us”, since the taxi ride was indeed chargeable – at 700 birr a lot more than the bus, but on the other hand probably worth it at 5.15 in the evening to be delivered straight to the house. All in all, having Hailu’s help and advice certainly enabled us to get the most out of our short stay in Harar, so thanks Nico Demus for these recommendations.